Basic Garter Square blanket uses simple garter stitch to show off those crisp, defined, geometric corners, and a couple of equally-simple yet good details to make it slightly more interesting as a project.

It’s fully customizable, with no formal gauge, and the .PDF has a sketchy, free feeling (I can’t get a photo of the original today, but it’s really cold and snowing where I am; blankets are appropriate; this cannot wait), but still includes all you need to make the blanket: detailed line instructions, step-by-step instructions for the transitional stage, and a schematic to show the finished shape.

This blanket can be knit with a couple of circular needles, or one very long circular, or it can make good use of an interchangeable set, since you can increase the length of the needle as you go.

Materials:

• a lot of yarn, any weight, full skeins or scraps and remnants (more specifically, you’ll probably want at least 800 yards for a worsted/aran blanket at minimum, and more for a larger blanket or smaller yarn)
• 1 60” circular needle (or an interchangeable needle set) in size needed for gauge
• scrap yarn, for provisional cast-on
• crochet hook, size suited to yarn
• tapestry needle
• Optional: a spare circular needle in the same size as the main needle, or a size or two smaller; two DPNs, in the same size as the main needle, for I-cord

Gauge:
There isn’t one. Use the needles you need for a good, medium blanket-feeling fabric with the yarn you choose.

Skills:
This project is simple, but it requires comfort with (willingness to learn) these techniques: provisional cast-on, knitting flat, knitting in the round, picking up sts.